There are several major transport corridors (road, rail, and pipeline) on the east coast of Africa. These corridors from ports to inland areas provide lifeline infrastructure, especially for landlocked countries in East and Southern Africa. Japan has historically supported the economic development of these countries.

　The Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative proposed by Japan seeks to develop the Indo-Pacific region as an international public good by ensuring a rules-based international order in an integrated and transparent manner. The initiative emphasizes cohesion to ensure peace and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region and to bring stability and prosperity to the countries in the region.

Transport corridors are the terminals of sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region. Maintaining and enhancing the functioning of these corridors is essential for the purpose of blue economy development in the region. Therefore, these corridors are of great strategic importance to Japan in multiple contexts.

However, some scholars are concerned that interest in FOIP on the part of the Japanese government and business is concentrated in Southeast Asia and South Asia, with relatively little interest in East Africa. There is also a concern that Japan's perception of which transport corridors in East Africa are important, and why, has not been updated, and that aid and development priorities are not in line with the current situation.

In this conference, researchers will exchange views on the sustainable development and growth of the East African Transport Corridor, approaches that Japan and the world should take, and ways to ensure the stable functioning of the sea lanes.

Please register from the form provided below. When registering, please kindly double check the email address provided in the form before submitting. After registration, you will receive a temporary registration confirmation email. Please click the registration completion URL in the email within 24 hours of receiving it to finalize your registration. Participants will receive an email confirming registration after submitting this form, which will include the URL to access the webinar. If you do not receive this email, please kindly also check the spam email box.

Date and time
18 November 2021: 13:00 to 15:30 (in Japan Standard Time)
(The URL to join the conference will be provided after registration.)

Note
The speakers and the theme may be changed due to unexpected causes.